Diddy (file)
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

NEW YORK — It's been the same story for ... "how many years we been doing this now?" Diddy asked his staff Wednesday night at Sony Studios.

OK, so he might not have known the answer at that particular moment, but nevertheless, the more important answer is always the same when it comes to Diddy: No, he won't stop.

And on Wednesday night, he kept true to his word.

The Bad Boy CEO previewed a slew of new music and ventures from his label that he plans to release in the next few weeks and months. Diddy's new stuff ranged from his next Press Play single (see "Diddy Enjoys His 'Most Heartfelt #1' As Press Play Tops Albums Chart") — the Mario Winans-assisted "Through the Pain" — to the first single from Yung Joc's forthcoming sophomore set to a sneak-peek clip of the upcoming season of MTV's "Making the Band 4" (see " 'Making The Band 4' Hopefuls Vie To Be Diddy's New Cheesecake Men").

He even announced plans for a Press Play remix album (see "Diddy Praises Lil' Kim's First Post-Prison Rhymes: 'She Ain't Miss A Beat' ") and a second edition of We Invented the Remix. "We make statements, anthems and slogans," Bad Boy Executive VP Harve Pierre told the crowd gathered inside. "We're definitely known for working multiple albums at once."

Elephant Man (a new acquisition to Bad Boy via a partnership with VP Records), Winans, Ryan Leslie, Cheri Dennis, Joc, upstart rapper Aasim and Diddy's manager Chris Lighty were all in attendance for Diddy's early evening soiree.

Diddy kick-started the session with Dennis' "Portrait of Love," featuring himself and set to be the first single from the singer's long-delayed debut, due this summer. "I just wanna keep it real loose in here," Diddy said. "So if you have to go to the bathroom, go. You ain't gonna get in trouble."

Next, Diddy played snippets of tracks by Winans ("Here Comes the Pain" and "Put Your Arms Around Me"), during which he served as part hype man, part salesman. "Listen to the infectious melodies," he yelled. "New album coming soon!"

Then he breezed through tracks by Joc, whose new album, Hustlenomics, is set to feature production by the Neptunes and appearances by the Game and Young Dro; Elephant Man; Cassie; and boy band B-5. After those new songs, Diddy paused momentarily to talk about his young singer, Jordan McCoy, who was featured on the "American Idol" spinoff "American Juniors."

"Sometimes you have to diversify your portfolio," he explained of her addition to Bad Boy. "I was creepin' in Illinois and I bumped into her. That's how I found her." Diddy described the 15-year-old singer as having the same kind of vibe as Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry.

Other notable projects the Bad Boy general featured included tracks by the newest incarnation of Boyz N Da Hood, with new member Gorilla Zoe. Diddy said a new BNDH album is set for August, while a Zoe solo album is due in September.

Diddy didn't comment on an alleged altercation with "Making the Band" choreographer Laurie Ann Gibson, who, according to reports, filed a complaint with police after a confrontation with Diddy escalated. He did briefly play a clip of the pair's argument. But overall, Diddy kept the mood light and festive.

"Fourteen years we been rocking and doing this," Diddy shouted after he learned the answer to his first question of the session.

"We ain't never gonna stop," he continued. "We gonna keep going. I feel like y'all. I don't wanna leave."

And then Diddy cued the songs again from the top.

• Diddy
• Elephant Man
• Boyz N da Hood
• Yung Joc

DMX
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

DMX is back behind the wheel — and back in trouble with police. The rapper was pulled over in White Plains, New York, on Friday and charged with numerous traffic infractions, according to The Associated Press. DMX (born Earl Simmons) was stopped while driving his 2001 Chevy Suburban at unreasonable speeds and was also cited for changing lanes in an unsafe manner. To boot, police claim he wasn't wearing a seat belt and did not have a driver's license on him. X was given a summons and will appear before a traffic-court judge June 16. Last year, DMX served a 30-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to violating the terms of his conditional release. The charge stemmed from a June 2004 incident at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport during which X allegedly claimed to be a federal agent and tried to steal a car. ...

Lindsay Lohan's ears must have been burning before she walked down the red carpet Sunday night for the New York premiere of "A Prairie Home Companion," since her castmates — including Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline and Virginia Madsen — were singing her praises before the actress was even in sight. Streep, who plays Lohan's mother in the movie, called the young actress "simply wonderful," while Tomlin, who plays Lohan's aunt, said one of the threesome's most emotional scenes together hinged on Lohan's performance. "Lindsay has this scene where ['APHC' host] Garrison Keillor says, 'I don't do eulogies,' and she gets really tearful," Tomlin said. "She's just overwrought. We did about five or six takes on that one, and the burden was really on Lindsay, and she was awfully good." Also at the premiere were James Franco, Jena Malone, Kurt Vonnegut, Lauren Bacall and "Grey's Anatomy" star T.R. Knight. ...

50 Cent is joining Rihanna, Beenie Man, Bounty Killa and Elephant Man on the bill of the Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest, set for July 16-22 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. One artist on the lineup has yet to be revealed, and the Sumfest Web site describes the mystery addition as having a "honey dipped voice and a face that has young ladies across the world weak." ...

Sometimes the Europeans simply have it better than we do. Over the weekend, Metallica performed their 1986 masterpiece, Master of Puppets, in its entirety not once but twice. They played it through on Saturday during the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany, and then again on Sunday at the Rock Im Park festival in Nürnberg. The band performed the album's eight tracks — "Battery," "Master of Puppets," "The Thing That Should Not Be," "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)," "Disposable Heroes," "Leper Messiah," "Orion" and "Damage, Inc." — in the middle of each night's set. ...

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have found a way to show off their new baby while raking in big bucks for charity. The couple announced that exclusive images of their newborn daughter, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, will be licensed to media outlets via Getty Images. The photo service will not profit from the sale of the shots, which will instead go to charitable organizations. "While we celebrate the joy of the birth of our daughter, we recognize that two million babies born every year in the developing world die on the first day of their lives," Jolie and Pitt said in a statement. "These children can be saved, but only if governments around the world make it a priority." ...

Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody's throat is so damaged that the band was forced to postpone dates in New York, Philadelphia, Montreal and Toronto. But fear not, fans: the Patrol have already scheduled make-up dates for the postponed shows. They'll play Toronto on June 25, Philly on the 26th and NYC the following night. Their Boston show has been rescheduled for August 15, and they promise to hit Montreal when they return to North America in October. "The elite triumvirate of our agent (Marty Diamond), our manager (Jazz Summers) and our tour manager (Neil Mather) sprang into action like some magical, yet functionary, ballet to reschedule the dates," Lightbody wrote on SnowPatrol.com. "For the most part, they will be added to the end of this U.S. tour in and around the last week of June. I hope that you can all make these new dates, and I'm sorry again for hassle." ...

Sleepy Brown, the Outkast protégé who appears on "The Way You Move," will release his debut album, Mr. Brown, September 26. The first single, "Margarita," features Pharrell and Big Boi. ... Shakira and Wyclef Jean made beautiful music together with "Hips Don't Lie" and now the track has made history. According to Nielsen data, the song was played 9,657 times on the radio last week, becoming the most-played song in pop radio history. Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" held the previous record, with 9,582 spins during the week ending June 5, 2005. ...

LL Cool J joins Diddy, Stevie Wonder and Tom Petty in the ranks of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' Golden Note Award winners. LL's award will be presented June 26, when ASCAP will also honor R&B singer Bill Withers with a Rhythm & Soul Award during a ceremony held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. ... Master P and Lil' Romeo are joining country-music star Lee Ann Womack to perform for U.S. troops at the Homefront Celebration in Vicenza, Italy, on June 14. This is the second USO tour for Master P and Romeo, who performed at an event for soldiers stationed in Germany in March. ...

Avenged Sevenfold have posted their cover of Pantera's "Walk," which is featured on Kerrang! magazine's High Voltage compilation, on their MySpace page. ... Scissor Sisters fans can start counting down the days: The band's second album, Ta-Dah, has been fit with a September 26 due date. The release will be preceded by the disc's first single, "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'." ...

It's official: Fuel need to keep looking for a new singer. Former "American Idol" contestant Chris Daughtry confirmed that he's going to go it alone. While in Greensboro, North Carolina, for a homecoming celebration Saturday, Daughtry told The Charlotte Observer, "I'm going to be doing my own thing." The contest's favorite rocker, who was asked to front Fuel following his elimination from "Idol" last month, said he expects to announce his career plans after he finishes touring with the "Idol" top 10. The American Idols Live Tour kicks off July 5 in New Hampshire and wraps up September 24 in Pennsylvania. ... First Bun B revealed that he was escorting boxer Bernard Hopkins to the ring for Saturday's light heavyweight bout in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and now Nick Lachey, "Entourage" star Jeremy Piven and fighter Oscar de la Hoya are getting in on the action. Piven and de la Hoya will get the weekend's festivities rolling with a pre-fight party at the Borgata Hotel Casino's Mixx nightclub on Friday, while Lachey will hold court at Mixx the next night as host of the bout's afterparty. ...

Vince Welnick, 55, former keyboard player for the Grateful Dead, died Friday in what the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department termed a suicide, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Welnick, who also played with the Tubes and the Missing Man Formation, was the last in a line of Grateful Dead keyboard players who met tragic early deaths that sparked word of a curse, from original keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, who died at age 27 in 1973, to Keith Godchaux, who was killed in a 1980 car crash after leaving the band and Brent Mydland, who died of a drug overdose in 1990. Welnick played with the Dead until the 1995 death of leader Jerry Garcia ended the band's four-decade run. ... Carlos Santana and his wife are hitting Macy's Herald Square in New York on Monday to unveil a product that will satisfy those who have always wanted to smell like the guitar icon — or his songs. The Santanas will sign bottles of Carlos Santana, a men's fragrance that promises to be "a rich scent inspired by the music of Santana" at the event.

06.02.2006

Attorneys on both sides of the R. Kelly child-pornography case asked a Chicago judge on Thursday to prevent the public from viewing the singer's alleged sex tape with an underage girl. They said only the jurors, prosecution, defense and judge should see it — the prosecution contended that a public viewing of the tape would do the underage girl "irreparable harm." Defense and prosecution lawyers said the media could view the tape, however, a request Judge Vincent Gaughan is expected to rule on June 8, at the next hearing.

Meanwhile, the R&B singer is fighting another battle over a guardhouse in front of his gated estate in the Chicago suburb of Olympia Fields. Kelly built the guardhouse two years ago but only asked the village board for permission to do so in April. The village trustees rejected the request, so on Tuesday, the singer filed a civil suit, asking a judge to reverse the board's decision. In a previously filed suit, the village board also accused Kelly of improperly parking tour buses and trailers in front of his mansion, violating local zoning laws. ...

Alicia Keys and Gavin DeGraw will present and perform at the Songwriters Hall of Fame awards dinner, to be held June 15 at New York's Marriott Marquis Hotel. Whoopi Goldberg and Dr. John will join them at the event, which will honor John Mayer, Kris Kristofferson and Peter, Paul & Mary, among others. ...

Looks like Guns N' Roses won't be opening for the Rolling Stones after all. The Stones put their European Bigger Bang tour on hold after Keith Richards was sidelined with a head injury last month, and now the band has announced that the Nürnberg and Leipzig, Germany, shows that Axl and the gang were set to play in July have been canceled. Richards is ready to get back on the road, however, and the Stones' European tour will kick off July 11 in Italy. "Excuse me, I fell off my perch," Richards said in a statement on the band's site. "Sorry to disrupt everyone's plans but now — it's full steam ahead! Ouch!" Rescheduled dates for postponed European shows are expected to be announced soon. ... Ghostface Killah, Mates of State, We Are Scientists Stellastarr, Northern State and You Hear It First veterans Margot & the Nuclear So and So's have been added to the lineup of the inaugural Desdemona Music Festival, set for June 23-24 at Sawyer Point Waterfront Park in Cincinnati. The 30-act lineup also includes previously announced artists the Walkmen, Fiery Furnaces and Annie. ...

Incubus singer Brandon Boyd will host the Surfrider Foundation's Celebrity Surf Jam, set for June 10 at Huntington Beach Pier in Southern California. "My friends and I have grown up surfing in California and we try to do everything we can to preserve the beaches and oceans that have afforded us the opportunity to surf," Boyd said in a statement. "Through our band, Incubus, we've been lucky enough to raise funds to donate to the Surfrider Foundation in the past. Celebrity Surf Jam is just one more way I can help raise awareness for the need to protect our coastal environments." ... Constantine Maroulis made a surprise appearance at the Vibrato Club in Los Angeles' Bel Air neighborhood on May 26 to debut a few new songs with producer Robin Di Maggio, who worked on the latest Paul Simon album. Ryan Cabrera and Sean Lennon were in the audience. ...

After recording portions of his Life album in Cairo, Ricky Martin returned to Egypt earlier this week to play a sold-out, two-hour show at Cairo's Media City. The Latin-music star had incorporated Middle Eastern music — as well as Asian music, reggaetón, and hip-hop — to make more of a global sound. The next stop on Martin's international tour is Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday. ... Ziggy Marley will release his second solo CD, Love Is My Religion, exclusively through Target stores. "One of my father's goals was to release an album independently," Ziggy said in a statement. "This album and the way it is being sold is important to me in honoring my father's spirit." ... Jurassic 5's Feedback is due in stores July 25, and the week before, the hip-hop group will launch a three-month tour set to make three-dozen stops across the U.S. The trek, which kicks off July 18 at Seattle's Showbox, will visit cities including San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta and Chicago before wrapping up in Las Vegas on September 13. ... The Zutons have set an August 22 release date for their second album, Tired of Hanging Around. Stephen Street (Blur, the Smiths) produced the disc, which includes the single "Valerie."

[This story was originally published at 2:23 pm E.T. on 06.05.2006]

• DMX
• Lindsay Lohan
• 50 Cent
• Rihanna
• Beenie Man

The Game performs at Hot 97's Summer Jam 2005
Photo: Getty Images

To say the truce between the Game and 50 Cent came to a screeching halt Sunday night would be an understatement. Think more along the lines of a major derailment, much like the big scene in "Speed," when the subway train carrying Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock crashes through the pavement and lands above ground.

For weeks there had been rumors that Game was making unfavorable remarks about 50 and the G-Unit while performing on the How the West Was One Tour. It was fodder for Internet message boards and made radio gossip reports, but the rumblings never materialized into anything substantial. G-Unit members haven't exactly given props to Game in some of their recent interviews either, but everything had been relatively calm.

During Summer Jam, the New York tri-state area's biggest hip-hop concert of the year, the Game's frustrations boiled over while onstage in New Jersey's Giants Stadium, and he took several verbal shots at the G-Unit. The rapper also had people dressed up in a gorilla suit and a rat costume — representing 50's alleged snitching — both wearing G-Unit T-shirts and getting beaten in a mocking manner by Game's clique.

From the onset of Game's set, the Compton, California, native let it be known he would not be in Jersey with his "tail between his legs" backing down from his problems with 50. He performed "Hate It or Love It," rapping 50's verse as well as his own, switching up a line here and there to relay anti-G-Unit sentiment, such as "I ain't f---ing with five-0/ It's all starting to make sense."

Later Game introduced a new slogan, "G-G-G-U-Not!"

There was a slight undercurrent of booing when Game voiced his feeling towards the G-Unit, and that's when Dr. Dre's protégé really expressed himself.

Game explained that he had love for New York, but he was kicked out of the G-Unit because "they were hating." He said the crowd shouldn't hate him because he hates 50. Game even yelled "F--- 50" while holding his son in his arms before performing "Dreams."

The crowd started to warm up to Game more and more as he continued to use his platform to try and humiliate his former business associates. The lanky MC even threw a G-Unit chain he once wore proudly into the audience like it was nothing more than a used tissue going into a garbage can.

"I don't follow suit like f----t ass Yayo," Game roared. He later threatened to "knock out" Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks.

It became evident that Game's set was more therapy than performance — and that he had been waiting to get a lot off of his chest. Game even started to detail the infamous night at Hot 97's station, when a member of his crew was shot (see "50 Drops Game From G-Unit; Shots Fired At Radio Station"), accusing 50 of being scared to come outside and saying the G-Unit general was rushed out of the back of the building.

"Jay-Z's Special Guest A Thriller For Summer Jam Crowd"). Jay came out this year as a special guest of scheduled act Kanye West — who also brought out Cam'ron and Common in separate instances. The Roc was definitely in the building, as tens of thousands of fans immediately yelled at the top of their lungs when Jay arrived during "Diamonds." For several minutes, Jay stood onstage while the crowd used their voices, letting him know they were grateful that he was hitting the Summer Jam stage. The ovation was so overwhelming that you can bet they wouldn't be too upset if he announced that he is calling the whole retirement thing off. Jigga then performed both "P.S.A." and "Encore." A couple of the night's most anticipated performances were called off before completion by Hot 97. Jadakiss, who many fans felt should have been appearing a lot later on the bill than his #3 slot (same goes for the heavily popular hometown crew the Diplomats, who hit the stage second), got his mic cut off just as he was about to perform his 50 dis record, "Checkmate." Let's just say Kiss didn't feel "marvelous" after that. The night's headliner, Snoop Dogg, also got caught up in the mismanagement of time. By the time Doggy jumped onstage at close to 11 p.m., a large faction of the crowd was filing out. It's not like Snoop isn't loved in New York, but after several hours in a stadium, fans are naturally tired. By the time Snoop brought out his guest Cassidy midway through his set, the crowd was so thin, it looked like Snoop was opening the show rather than closing. Capacity doesn't matter to the Dogg, though. He was determined to give whoever was there a great show and was prepared to go all night if he had to. At one point, his mic was cut off and so was the power to his band and DJ. After a couple of seconds elapsed, the juice was back on, but Snoop told his security people to stand by the "power man" just in case he wanted to cut the power again. Halfway through "Gin and Juice," all the lights in the stadium went up. Snoop was able to get through that song and tried to perform "Drop It Like It's Hot" next, but that was all she wrote. Shortly after 11:30 p.m., both Snoop's set and Summer Jam '05 were over in a disappointing, anti-climatic manner. The crowd didn't even get one "Snooooooooooop" off. And Snoop had just barked about flying all the way to New York to give a good show, saying Hot 97 shouldn't give him time constraints. Ciara, Amerie and Ludacris and his guest Bobby Valentino also hit the Summer Jam stage, as did Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz, joined by guests Elephant Man, Pitbull, Ice Cube, Lil' Scrappy, Trillville and the Ying Yang Twins (and you have to believe you've heard it all once you've witnessed over 30,000 men and women yell in unison "Wait till you see my di--!"). For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports. Related Artists Game Jay-Z G-Unit 50 Cent Common ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1503517/20050606/game__3_.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1503517/20050606/game__3_.jhtml 6 Jun 2005 09:15:00 EDT Mary J. Blige (file) Photo: Geffen John Thompson, the attorney who helped get Howard Stern in hot water with Clear Channel and the FCC, has faxed a complaint to the FCC about a Mary J. Blige segment that aired on Sunday's edition of CBS' "60 Minutes." In a profile of the artist, Blige mumbled the word "sh--" under her breath during a vocal take in the studio. Thompson filed the complaint to FCC Chairman Michael Powell and his senior legal adviser. MTV's parent company, Viacom, also owns CBS. ... Indie-rock darlings Guided by Voices have written their final album. After the August 24 release of Half Smiles of the Decomposed, the Dayton, Ohio, group will tour, and then disband. However, frontman Robert Pollard will still write and record as a solo artist. "I've always said that when I make a record that I'm totally satisfied with as befitting a final album, then that will be it. And this is it," he said in a statement. "I love the guys in the band, but I'm getting too old to be a gang leader." ... Fifty-four-year-old singer/pianist Billy Joel was injured in a single-car accident in Bayville, New York, over the weekend, crashing into an unoccupied house and lacerating his left hand. It was Joel's third car accident in two years, but police say he wasn't intoxicated. Joel was on his way to pick up a pizza and ineffectively maneuvered a tricky part of the road. ... Kid Rock wrapped up the first leg of his North American tour on Saturday in Universal City, California. However, he won't take much of a breather before he kicks off the second leg. A slew of new dates has been scheduled, from May 6 in Portland, Oregon, to June 26 in Noblesville, Indiana. ... The White Stripes took home top honors at the 13th annual Detroit Music Awards Friday night, for Best National Album (Elephant) and Best National Single ("Seven Nation Army"). Jack and Meg White beat out other Motor City stars such as Eminem, Kid Rock and Aretha Franklin. ... Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe has ordered the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. to stop its hip-hop-themed marketing campaign for its Kool brand of cigarettes. As part of a 1998 settlement reached between the tobacco companies and 46 states, tobacco companies cannot market their products to children. Rowe, who oversees the enforcement of the settlement, says Brown & Williamson's rap iconography in its marketing was specifically targeting black youth. ... Good to gooooo! Elephant Man has been tapped by Puma for a TV ad campaign celebrating the shoe company's sponsorship of the Jamaican Olympic Association. The 30-second spot, set to Elephant Man's "All Out," features the dancehall artist and Jamaica's 200-meter junior-world-champion runner Usain Bolt passing a relay baton in and out of a Kingston, Jamaica, recording studio. ... Metallica, the band that once declared war on Napster and Internet downloaders, have posted four more concerts from their archives on the Web site www.metallicavault.com. Fans who own the band's most recent disc, St. Anger, can unlock the site with a code inside the packaging, and download the shows for free. Metallica are currently on tour with Godsmack, and are selling board recordings of all the shows on www.metclub.com. ... More than 20 people were arrested for drug-related offenses Friday and Saturday at the Livestock 14 concert in Zephyrhills, Florida. The event featured performances by Hatebreed, Soil, Drowning Pool, Damageplan, Sevendust and others. There were two arrests for battery, one for driving under the influence and others for cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy possession. One man was arrested for housing four tanks of nitrous oxide inside his camper. Three people overdosed and an additional 12 were treated at a local medical center. ... The Get Up Kids have hopped aboard the Honda Civic Tour, which also features Dashboard Confessional and Thrice. The jaunt kicks off May 13 in Portland, Maine, and runs through June 30 in Pittsburgh. ... Chimaira will miss Monday's Jägermeister Tour stop in Kansas City, Missouri, because of multiple bus problems with multiple buses. The band was traveling from Truesdale, Missouri, to the venue when its bus conked out. A temporary replacement was called in, but soon after the group boarded, it too broke down. Chimaira plan to hook up with another bus in time for their Tuesday show in West Des Moines, Iowa. Last year, the band had similar bad luck, surviving a bus accident and a video set fire. "It's the same sh--, different tour," frontman Mark Hunter said. "I don't think we can ever do a tour without some type of catastrophe." ... Varg Vikernes, the Burzum frontman who is serving a 21-year prison sentence in Norway for the 1993 murder of a rival in the band Mayhem, has been sentenced to 14 more months in jail. His sentence was extended as a result of his failed escape attempt late last year, in which he was charged with car theft and possession of an AG3 automatic rifle and 700 bullets. ... Kittie have brought on Lisa Marx (ex-To See You Broken) as their new second guitarist. The band met Marx at a Seattle area Kittie show, and jammed with her soon after. Kittie's upcoming album, Until the End, is scheduled for release this summer. ... Spacehog frontman (and hubby of Liv Tyler) Royston Langdon and ex-Blind Melon guitarist Roger Stevens have merged to create Sparticle, with drummer Rene Lopez rounding out the trio. The band has played a handful of shows, including dates at Austin, Texas' South by Southwest and in New York, while shopping around a three-song demo for a record deal. ... Alive and Amplified, the third album from New York garage rockers the Mooney Suzuki, is due August 10. Produced by hitmakers-for-hire the Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Hilary Duff), the LP follows 2002's Electric Sweat. ... 04.23.2004 The White Stripes were on hand Thursday to help Loretta Lynn celebrate the release of her new album, Van Lear Rose, at a party at Nashville's Hermitage Hotel. More than 500 guests attended, including Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith and Crystal Gayle. Jack White produced the album, which hits stores on Tuesday. ... No vacations for Suge Knight. He was released from Mule Creek State Prison on Thursday around 5 a.m. and he immediately got on a plane to Los Angeles to join his family and close friends. On Friday morning, Knight dove right back into his CEO duties at Death Row, holding marketing and promotion meetings for the upcoming compilation LP he's trying to put together benefiting the families of U.S. troops in Iraq, as well as for Kurupt's Against the Grain LP. According to Tha Row, Kurupt's first single is "Stalkers." ... Eminem won a "cyber-squatting" lawsuit against a British company that had been using the rapper's likeness and music to sell mobile ringtones and photo messages. The company, Visitair, registered the domain name eminemmobile.com last year to sell the ringtones. As a result of the ruling, the domain name now becomes Eminem's possession, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization, which arbitrated the suit. ... Scott Weiland got a breather on Friday when his DUI trial was postponed. He's next due in court on May 11, two days before his band Velvet Revolver are set to launch their tour in St. Louis. ... Sting is releasing three separate videos — all shot by Nick Quested — for his new single, "Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)," with each one for a different mix of the song. One of the mixes is a collaboration with Twista, another features Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas. The main storyline of each video centers around a Brooklyn, New York, warehouse party, with each of the clips showing different events taking place around the festivities. ... Two days after he was indicted by a grand jury, Michael Jackson released a statement via his Web site asking the media to leave him alone. "As I release this statement there are helicopters hovering above my residence, reporters staking out and photographers lurking behind bushes, running rampant around my compound," wrote Jackson, who is living at a secluded estate in central Florida. "I am respectfully requesting that media organizations please respect my privacy and that of my children." ... In other Jackson news, media outlets covering his case, as well as the singer's lawyers, have asked the California Supreme Court to remove a gag order imposed on both sides. "The protective order bars those who are most knowledgeable about a criminal case that has garnered intense public interest from speaking to the public about the case, cutting off the best sources of truthful, timely information," a petition filed Friday read. ... The 24th annual CMJ Music Marathon is set for October 13-16 in New York. Daytime events will be held at the Jacob Javits Center and the Westin Hotel in Times Square, while more than 50 venues will host the nightly performances. Participating artists have yet to be announced. ... The world's first charitable music download site will launch in June. Warchildmusic.com, an arm of the War Child organization, which helps children in war-torn countries, will feature exclusive tracks updated each month. The first crop will include tunes by Travis, Badly Drawn Boy and Spiritualized. ... D.C. punk band Fugazi have begun selling CDs of their live shows dating back to their maiden gig on September 3, 1987, via their Web site www.fugaziliveseries.com. In keeping with the band's ethos, the albums are reasonably priced at $8 for a single disc and $10 for a double-disc set. ... Liz Phair will headline the Chicks With Attitude Tour, traversing the country from August to September. Cardigans lead singer Nina Persson, Katy Rose and Charlotte Martin will also be aboard for the ride. ... Best known for their banging but ridiculously titled "Shh ... (Hope Diggy)" two years ago, Apex Theory have not hung it up after the departure of singer Andy Khachaturian. Instead, guitarist Art Karamian will handle vocal duties as the band works on its next album. ... Auf Der Maur, the band fronted by former Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur, will support their self-titled debut, due June 1, by opening up for the Offspring. The trek begins May 11 in Minneapolis and wraps June 2 in New York. ... The pride of the Garden State stoner-rock scene, Monster Magnet, are set to release their sixth album, Monolithic Baby!, May 25. Following a tour of Europe with Gluecifer and the Quill, the band plans to embark on a North American tour. ... Related Artists Mary J. Blige Guided By Voices Kid Rock Elephant Man Metallica ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1486602/20040426/blige_mary_j.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1486602/20040426/blige_mary_j.jhtml 26 Apr 2004 05:54:00 EDT Pink Photo: Arista A brown-haired Nicky Hilton, Mischa Barton and most of her "OC" co-stars, Shannon Elizabeth, Jamie Foxx, Melissa Joan Hart, Taryn Manning and Danny Masterson were among the celebrities who took in Pink's performance Thursday at Motorola's fifth annual party and Toys for Tots benefit in Culver City, California. "Who doesn't want toys for Christmas," Pink said before her short set. "I've always been into helping other people. It makes what you do a little more important than just being a rock star." ... Nick Cannon has been talking to his "Shall We Dance?" co-star Jennifer Lopez about collaborating on her next album. "Her album's gonna come out sometime around the film, so that could be cool," Cannon said. "And my new movie, 'Love Don't Cost a Thing,' is named after her song, so we had to talk about that and I had to make sure I got her a check for that," he added, smiling. ... Meanwhile, Cannon is eyeing the Mary J. Blige collaboration "Whenever You Need Me" as the next single from his self-titled debut, due Tuesday and also featuring B2K, R. Kelly, Ying Yang Twins, Biz Markie and Nivea. ... Visitors to the Major League Baseball Web site (www.mlb.com) have elected Ozzy Osbourne's perplexing rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as the Most Bizarre Moment in the This Year in Baseball Awards. The historical moment went down on August 17 at Chicago's Wrigley Field during a game between the Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers when Ozzy attempted to sing the song but clearly didn't know the words. The Web site has posted a full transcript of Ozzy's version of the song, which includes the lines "Let's go out to the ballgame. Let's go out to the bluhhhhhn/ Take me a ee-yan eeya (humming) the field/ I don't care if I ahh-uhn ack/ Da da da da duh da da da eam. Duh ee, da da da da dahhh." Ozzy's antics received 7,046 votes for Most Bizarre Moment, which made up 17.9 percent of the total votes. ... David Bowie has postponed the first two shows of the North American leg of his tour as he's battling a case of the flu. His reps said that Saturday's show in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Sunday's show in Washington, D.C., will be rescheduled, so fans should retain their tickets until new dates are announced. ... The Roots will take time from their recording sessions to hit the road for a quick tour. They'll play two dates in Philadelphia beginning December 29, two dates down the turnpike in Washington, D.C. (January 1-2), and one night in New York (January 3). A host of underground rappers will join them for the shows, including Aesop Rock, Little Brother and Jean Grae. ... Dancehall artist Elephant Man will soon shoot a video for the second single from his album Good 2 Go, released this week. It will combine a new single, "Signal De Plane," with an album track, "Blasé," both of which are named after recent dances sprouting up in Jamaican dancehalls. ... Goodie Mob are releasing a best-of album, Dirty South Classics, on December 16. The collection includes all 15 of the group's singles, including "Cell Therapy" and "Black Ice (Sky High)" featuring Outkast. ... Scottish band Travis will kick off a two-week tour next month that will eventually hit all three North American countries. The jaunt begins January 22 in Vancouver, sweeps down the West Coast and into Texas, then ends February 7 in Mexico City. ... Tommy Lee will sit in on drums at Skrape's show December 18 at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. The event will be a returned favor of sorts, since Skrape drummer Will Hunt was the touring drummer in Lee's band earlier this year. ... 12.04.03 Eminem, Destiny's Child, Nelly, Enrique Iglesias, Foo Fighters, Pink, Mary J. Blige, Michelle Branch, No Doubt and Madonna are among the artists who have contributed personalized holiday ornaments and other items for an online auction benefiting the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which aids artists suffering from illnesses and disabilities who can't afford health care. The auction recently launched at ebay.com. ... Evanescence have rescheduled two of the shows they postponed last month. Their St. Cloud, Minnesota, concert will now take place on February 20 and the Madison, Wisconsin, show will happen the next day. Tickets for the postponed shows will be honored for the new dates. In January, Evanescence will tour Australia and Japan. ... Simon Cowell has been named the American judge for the "World Idol" competition, set for December 25 and January 1 on FOX. Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, who host "Pop Idol" in the U.K., will serve as emcees for the show, which will be broadcast from London. ... Though Scott Weiland was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, his arraignment on a DUI charge has been delayed once again. The former Stone Temple Pilots frontman/current Velvet Revolver singer is now due back in court on December 23 to enter a plea to the charge of driving under the influence of drugs, which stems from a late October arrest. In the meantime, he continues his lockdown rehab program in Pasadena, California. ... The Darkness singer Justin Hawkins was detained by police for two hours at New York's Kennedy Airport recently because the cops were searching for a wanted criminal who shared his name. The frontman was freed after the band's manager showed police the group's tour schedule, which indicated that Hawkins was performing in England on July 4, the night of the crime. ... Director couple Sofia Coppola ("Lost in Translation," "The Virgin Suicides") and Spike Jonze ("Adaptation," "Being John Malkovich") have decided to divorce, according to their spokespeople. The couple wed four and a half years ago at the California Napa Valley estate of Coppola's father, legendary director Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather"). It was the first marriage for both of them. ... In-demand film composer and former Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman has married girlfriend Bridget Fonda, the actress' rep said on Thursday (December 4). It's the first marriage for Fonda — who's been linked to country singer Dwight Yoakam and actor Eric Stoltz in the past — and the second marriage for Elfman. ... Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil will host a late-night TV pilot, which will start shooting on Saturday. The as-yet-untitled show will feature well-toned men and women between the ages of 21 and 30 and will include some nudity. The program will tape in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. ... Sarah McLachlan will release Remixed on December 16. The album will feature electronified versions of her songs courtesy of the nimble fingers of DJs William Orbit, BT, Dusted and others. ... Related Artists P!nk Nick Cannon Jennifer Lopez Ozzy Osbourne The Roots ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1480956/20031205/pink.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1480956/20031205/pink.jhtml 5 Dec 2003 04:58:00 EST Alicia Keys Photo: J Records As the year winds down, so, too, do the new releases. It'll be short and sweet this week so you can get back to the rest of the day's music news. Yeah, yeah, holiday cheer and whatnot. First up, David Bowie's box set Sound + Vision. It showcases more outtakes and rarities than hits, but fret not — that's what Best of Bowie, out this week as well, is for. Paulina Rubio tells her Historia, while Elephant Man is Good 2 Go and Kinky release their second album, Atlas. Finally, nearly three years since her debut, Songs in A Minor, Alicia Keys releases her follow-up, The Diary of Alicia Keys, featuring the single "You Don't Know My Name" as well as "Streets of New York" with Nas and Rakim. You think you know, but you have no idea. Out Tuesday, December 2: Trace Adkins - Comin' on Strong (Capitol Nashville) Alchemist - Insomnia Mixtape (ALC) David Bowie - Best of Bowie (Virgin) David Bowie - Sound + Vision (box set, Virgin) Danny Breaks - Another Dimension (Superrappin) The Dells - Hott (A&E) Dirty Rig - Blood, Sweat and Beer Make America Strong (Music Cartel) Dubtribe Sound System - Baggage (P-Vine) Elephant Man - Good 2 Go (Atlantic) Fantastic 5 - Saves the Universe Part 1 (The Orchard) Garageland - Last Stop to Garageland (Foodchain) Glossary - How We Handle Our Midnights (Undertow) Helen - Empty Ocean (The Orchard) Homosexuals - Homosexuals Record (Morphius) Hot Rod Lincoln - Tokyo Bop (P-Vine) Adam Joseph - How I Seem to Be (Jah) Alicia Keys - Diary of Alicia Keys (J) Read: "Alicia Keys Mulls Over First Single; Nas Predicts Saddam Misfortune On New Track" Buy Now: Diary of Alicia Keys (J) Kinky - Atlas (Sonic360/Nettwerk) Mama Mia - Hits of Abba (Kala) Meeting Places - Find Yourself Along the Way (The Orchard) Movietone - Sand and the Stars (Drag City) New Model Army - Eight (Attack Attack) New Model Army - Strange Brotherhood (Attack Attack) Pillar - Broken Down: The EP (Flicker) Mary Prankster - Tell Your Friends (The Orchard) Elvis Presley - Elvis at the Movies (Kala) John Reuben - Professional Rapper (Gotee) Paulina Rubio - Historia (EMI) Seasoned to Please - Addicted to Your Love (Seasoned Mindz) Neil Sedaka - Brooklyn Demos 1958 — 61 (OCR) Shabang - Jackin' My Beats 1 (Muzik Source Entertainment) Silicone Soul - Pouti (EFA) Sol Uprising - Sol Power (Shaman Works) Start - Death Via Satellite (Nitro) Transcendence - Sleep With You (TMG) Lee Shot Williams - Get Down Tonight (Ecko) Paul Wright - Fly Away (Gotee) Yardbirds - Five Live Yardbirds (Sunspots) Various artists - 103.5 Summer Rush (SPG) Various artists - Best of Slow Jams (SPG) Various artists - Don't Give Up Your Culture (EFA) Various artists - Euro Invasion 3 (SPG) Various artists - High Fidelity Dub Sessions 5 (Guidance) Various artists - Ice Cold (Buffalo Bop) Various artists - I Heard it on NPR (box set, NPR) Various artists - Tooth & Nail 10th Anniversary (Tooth & Nail) Various artists - Webster Hall: New York Dance CD 6 (Webster Hall) DVD: Good Charlotte - Good Charlotte (Epic) DVD: Walter Trout and the Radicals Relentless - The Concert (Music Video Distributors) DVD: Tony Joe White - Tony Joe White in Concert (Music Video Distributors) December 9: Ryan Adams - Love Is Hell, Part 2 (Lost Highway) Read: "Ryan Adams Becomes ' Plaque On The Teeth Of Al-Country' With " Nick Cannon - Nick Cannon (Jive) Read: "B2K, Nick Cannon 'Feelin' Freaky' On Collabo" Buy Now: Nick Cannon (Jive) Kelis - Tasty (Arista) Read: "Kelis Turning Heads Again With Her Tasty 'Milkshake' " Buy Now: Tasty (Arista) The Offspring - Splinter (Sony) Buy Now: Splinter (Sony) Ruben Studdard - Soulful (RCA) Read: "R. Kelly, Missy Elliott Working On Ruben Studdard's Soulful Debut" Buy Now: Soulful (RCA) January 6: Justin Timberlake - Live From London (BMG) DVD: Coldplay - Unauthorized (Music Video Distributors) Related Artists Alicia Keys Good Charlotte Paulina Rubio David Bowie Elephant Man ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1480854/20031201/keys_alicia.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1480854/20031201/keys_alicia.jhtml 1 Dec 2003 08:57:00 EST On the Reggae Tip show also featured Bounty Killer, Wayne Wonder. By Hillary Crosley Elephant Man Photo: VP Records NEW YORK — How hot was radio station Hot 97's On the Reggae Tip concert Thursday night at the Hammerstein Ballroom? Just ask the fan who fainted. The sold-out concert boasted a lineup that included Wayne Wonder, Bounty Killer, T.O.K., Sasha, Tonto Metro & Devante and of course Elephant Man. Bobby Konders of Massive B pumped the riddims between performances, while celebrities like Mister Cee, DJ Enuff, Benny Boom, Little X, and Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz populated the audience. Donning a thin black suit, his trademark black skullcap and dark glasses, Bounty Killer sent the ballroom into convulsions with his mere presence. Opening with an instrumental Diplomats/ Bone Crusher medley, he demonstrated Jamaican chatting at its best. Flailing hands waved lighters and Jamaican flags while chanting Bounty classics like "Can't Believe Mi Eyes." Removing his sunglasses, Bounty forced the crowd to look into his eyes and made fans jump when his feet left the ground. After "Living Dangerously," he deserted the stage, leaving a panting ballroom and a fainted fan. Following a visit from the paramedics and a remix of R. Kelly's "Ignition" that talked about more smoking than a forest fire, the show's master of ceremonies ambushed the audience. "I have some good news and some bad news! Which do you want to hear first?" bellowed the MC. As fans frantically looked back and forth at one another, the possibility that Elephant Man might not show crossed everyone's mind. "I know at least one person fainted, but there's about to be a whole lot more people fainting in a minute!" Hitting the stage in a Hideki Matsui baseball jersey and cap and carrying a bat, Elephant Man caused the roaring fans to lose their minds. After a ragga rendition of "Joy to the World" led to "Log On," Ele made an effort to maintain his connection with audience by asking stage security to move aside so he could get closer to the crowd. Hopping on a speaker, he cut the house lights and pulled out an air-traffic-controller vest complete with two glowing batons. Instructing everyone to pull out their cell phones, he turned the Hammerstein into a black sea filled with swaying lights. People in balcony seats were afraid to sit for fear that Elephant Man might chastise them from the stage. And that he did. Feeling the audience needed to personally feel him, Elephant Man jumped from the stage and ran through the crowd, forcing everyone to "Pon De River." Once he was back on the stage, he pulled Lil Jon from the audience and the two performed a reggae remix of "Get Low." The King of Crunk and Elephant Man directed hundreds of raised hands to the window and to the wall while looking for two well-endowed ladies. "Where da fat girls? Gimme some fat girls!" shouted Elephant Man, whose trademark is heavy lifting. Drawing two healthy ladies from the audience — one for Lil Jon and one for himself — Ele told Jon that he'd take the "fat fat" one. With the ladies assuming the position of face down and other parts up, the Jon and Ele wheelbarrowed them into submission. When Elephant Man picked up his girl and bulldozed her through the crowded stage, Lil Jon bowed out, choosing to preserve his back. Finally, after erecting signs pleading to save the children and stop the violence, Elephant Man performed heart-wrenchingly humorous rendition of "We are the World" to a singing-along audience. See what you miss if you faint? For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports. Related Artists Elephant Man Lil Jon ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1477936/20030905/elephant_man.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1477936/20030905/elephant_man.jhtml 5 Sep 2003 08:48:00 EDT Elephant Man - Five-O Five-O Artist: Elephant Man Label: VP/Bad Boy Director: Gil Green Album: Five-O ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1197573&vid=155672 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1197573&vid=155672 8 Jun 2007 12:00:00 EDT Elephant Man - Get Low (Remix feat. Elephant Man, Busta Rhymes & Ying Yang Twins) Get Low (Remix feat. Elephant Man, Busta Rhymes & Ying Yang Twins) Artist: Elephant Man Label: BME/TVT Records Director: Life Garland Album: Part II [CD/DVD] ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1197573&vid=25460 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1197573&vid=25460 16 Oct 2003 12:00:00 EDT Dare to Wear Related Artists Gwen Stefani Snoop Dogg Christina Aguilera Mudvayne Mary J. Blige ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1535605 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1535605 5 Jul 2006 12:00:00 EDT Advance Warning Volume 3. Photos Related Artists Brand New Lupe Fiasco Elephant Man Dwele Ima Robot ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1479667 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1479667 9 Oct 2003 05:02:49 EDT MTV Exclusive: Elephant Man Photos Related Artists Elephant Man ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1479568 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1479568 6 Oct 2003 05:44:50 EDT